Hey girl, you look great too!
Hello ladies!
Wow...December already? The end of the year is fast approaching and I've only written 3 blog posts..... whoops. A N Y W A Y
In terms of learning curves....this year has been full of them! It's been more of a learning rollercoaster, full of ups and downs, and this analogy is getting increasingly cringey so I think I should get to my point: One thing I've definitley learned is the importance of the people you keep around you.
It took me alot of time and reflection to realise some of the things that would make me feel so low and bad about myself were my friends. You see, there are many contributors to how you view yourself. There's your internal voice, and then the things you feed your mind: music you listen to, social media, films, tv, the friends you keep. When let to their own devices these external factors can incorperate themselves into your internal way of thinking without you even noticing. It's a little bit like when you make a new friend and before you know it you've picked up all their weird little mannerisms and catch phrases.
For example, I used to have a friend who was really funny and always knew how to cheer me up yet somehow she always used to make me feel inferior. There was a way she'd look at me when we'd discuss the subject of style I would always get comments like "I would love to give you a make over!" and " your style is so.... hm....cute". Believe it or not, this is not the first time I've had comments like that. Being bare-faced on most days and rocking my natural afro hair there have been more than one occasion where I've been thrown friendly shade. One friend vowed to never leave me be until I got a weave and started wearing more make up.
Despite my internal dialouge those comments would play on my mind when I had time to think. It was not until I seperated myself from those friends that my internal dialouge started to change. It was like someone had just just cleared half the bad thoughts from my mind and I realised I shouldn't need to change anything about appearance to make others feel more comfortable.
Although it may not be the intention there are some friends that can't help but knock you down when they feel like they need to rise. Some girls will never compliment you because they don't want to draw attention to you in case attention is drawn away from themselves. You need to let those friends go if you want to grow! Now I surround myself with people who are honest but kind, don't want to change me and are happy to encourage me and vice versa.
So, be careful who you befriend and what you feed your mind with, as these external factors are internalized and can soon be reflected! Give a compliement every now and then - it won't hurt I swear :)
And finally have a wonderful christmas and New year!
